Starting Saturday, February 4th, the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog race will cover 1,000 miles of icy, snowy and frigid terrain between Whitehorse, Yukon, and Fairbanks, Alaska.

HughesNet is excited to serve as the communications sponsor for the U.S. portion of the event for the fourth consecutive year. Hughes' technology and expertise plays a significant role in the race by enabling race officials, volunteers, sled dog teams and medical personnel to quickly and efficiently communicate weather updates, course warnings, and other information to make the race safer. The Hughes service also enables officials to update race results on the website and steadily feed information to fans and media around the world.

Communications are especially challenging in the frigid, icy conditions of the Alaska winter, which can turn even more treacherous at a moment’s notice. The Yukon Quest’s extreme conditions and remote locations add to the degree of difficulty of the race, increasing the importance of keeping everybody reliably connected.

“So much of the safety and execution of the Yukon Quest requires clear communication with all of the participants at checkpoints along the trail,” said Marti Steury, Yukon Quest Executive Director – Alaska. “With so many moving parts, it’s impossible to anticipate everything that can happen – especially given the extreme weather conditions. We are thrilled to have HughesNet sponsor our communications initiatives, enabling our staff to connect instantly and resolve situations quickly and accurately.”

As we get closer to race day and throughout the event, check out HughesNet on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates, photos and stories from the race.